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AI-Driven Cognitive Digital Twin for Optimizing Energy Efficiency in Industrial Air Compressors

  • University of Johannesburg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Energy efficiency is widely recognized as a critical strategy for reducing energy consumption in industrial systems. Improving energy efficiency has become a central point in industrial systems aiming to reduce energy consumption and operational costs. Industrial air compressors are among the most energy-intensive assets and often operate under static control policies that fail to adapt to real-time dynamics. This paper proposes a cognitive digital twin (CDT) framework that integrates reinforcement learning as, especially, a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent into the virtual replica of the air compressor system. CDT learns continuous from multidimensional telemetry which includes power, outlet pressure, air flow, and intake temperature, enabling autonomous decision-making, fault adaptation, and dynamic energy optimization. Simulation results demonstrate that PPO strategy reduces average SEC by 12.4%, yielding annual energy savings of approximately 70,800 kWh and a projected payback period of one year. These findings highlight the CDT potential to transform industrial asset management by bridging intelligent control.

Original languageEnglish
Article number519
JournalTechnologies
Volume13
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2025

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  2. SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Keywords

  • cognitive digital twin
  • compressor control
  • proximal policy optimization
  • reinforcement learning
  • specific energy consumption

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Science (miscellaneous)

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